A leading voice in the world of opera, whose musical training began at the age of 10 in her Pender Harbour hometown and blossomed into stature as an internationally-acclaimed mezzo-soprano, died on Jan. 30 at the age of 41.
Rose-Ellen Nichols was an alumnus of Pender Harbour Secondary School. She later obtained a Master’s degree in opera from the University of British Columbia, and performed with the UBC Opera Ensemble before appearing with companies across Canada and in Germany, Ireland, and the Czech Republic.
In 2014, Nichols performed the title role of Margaret Atwood’s chamber opera Pauline, based on the life of poet Pauline Johnson. The work, which required Nichols’ presence onstage throughout two long acts, played to capacity audiences in Vancouver.
Days after the premiere, Nichols told The Georgia Straight that her own Coast Salish heritage helped her create a connection with the character of Johnson, who was the daughter of a Mohwak hereditary chief.
Nichols continued to explore connections between Indigenous stories and contemporary opera. In 2017, she appeared in the world premiere of a work produced by Pacific Opera Victoria and City Opera Vancouver. Missing, is a lament for a girl who disappears without explanation on British Columbia’s notorious Highway 16, known colloquially as the Highway of Tears.
In the opera, Nichols sang the part of Native Mother. Opera Canada wrote that her voice expressed “not only her own mourning, but also a universal anguish, acting as the emotional beacon the other searching souls turn to for their bearing.”
She returned to the role in 2019 for a touring production that played to audiences in Victoria, Regina and Prince George.
Apart from numerous Canadian and European premieres, Nichols also embraced classic works of the opera canon. In Prague, in 2005, she appeared as Doraella in Mozart’s Cosi Fan Tutte, and in 2012, as Polinesso in Calgary Opera’s production of Ariodante by George Frideric Handel—just two among more than a dozen prominent characters she embodied, in addition to extensive ensemble work.
As her reputation grew, Nichols continued to give recitals on the Sunshine Coast. She sang to accompany the release of the 2010 book Women of Pender Harbour, and reappeared as part of the Pender Harbour Chamber Music Festival in 2017.
Rose-Ellen Nichols was afflicted by cancer two years ago and underwent several surgeries. She passed away in the presence of family at Vancouver General Hospital on Sunday.
An announcement by City Opera Vancouver indicated that discussions are ongoing to create a scholarship in Nichols’ name.
